Seasonal And Interannual Variability In Co2 Snowfall
Within The Martian North Polar Vortex
N. R. Alsaeed, P. O. Hayne, V. Concepcion, Laboratory For Atmospheric And Space Physics, University Of
Colorado, Boulder, Usa (Noora.Alsaeed@Colorado.Edu)
Introduction: The Polar Regions On Mars Play An
Important Role In The Thermal Regulation And Circulation Of The Atmosphere. In The Winter, Strong Westerly
Jets Isolate The Cold Air Above The Poles From Lower Latitudes. This Aptly Named Polar Vortex Inhibits
Transport Of Dust And Other Condensates Into The Poles
[1,2]. Temperatures Within The Polar Vortex Boundary
Drop To The Freezing Point Of Carbon Dioxide, Allowing
It To Condense Out Both Directly Onto The Surface And
As Snowfall [3]. As It Is The Main Constituent Of The
Martian Atmosphere, The Surface-Atmosphere Exchange Of Co2 Is One Of The Fundamental Processes In
Both The Present And Past Climate On Mars, Mainly Due
To Its Ability To Significantly Alter The Atmospheric
Pressure And Heat Balance Of The Planet On Seasonal
And Orbital Timescales [4,5]. It Is Therefore Important
To Understand What Forces Affect The Dynamics Of The
Polar Vortex And Subsequently The Atmospheric Processes Such As Snowfall That Occur Within It.
In This Work We Use Atmospheric Retrievals Of Temperature And Co2 Ice Cloud Opacity From The Mars Climate Sounder (Mcs) On Board Nasa’S Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (Mro) To Analyze Patterns In The